Fort Leavenworth Kansas - History and Hauntings

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Hauntings

There are several old officers houses on historic Fort Leavenworth that are haunted, faces can be seen in the back of the fireplaces and strange noises heard at night. Many believe the ghosts are spirits of inmates who were executed at the United States Disciplinary Barracks on Fort Leavenworth and the ghosts of those buried in the National Cemetery located just beyond the prison walls.

The Chief of Staff's Quarters at 624 Scott Avenue to continue to host a tea party in the parlor. Though apparitions have not been seen, several people report hearing the sounds of a tea party coming from an otherwise empty parlor.

Fort Leavenworth, 1867, photo by Alexander Gardner

Former Site of the St. Ignatius Chapel – The original St. Ignatius Chapel was built where a house now stands at 632 Thomas Avenue. In 1875, the original church and rectory burned down claiming the life of a young priest who had been assigned there. After the fire, the salvageable building material was used to build the new residence. Some of the scorched bricks can still be seen making up the fireplace in the dining room of the house. Etched into these bricks are several names, including that of Father Fred. Many who have lived there have claimed to see Father Fred walking through the house in his priestly robes. Reportedly, he is most often seen walking up and down the stairs and in the kitchen and dining room. In the 1970’s his robed figure even appeared in a Polaroid photograph taken at a dinner party.

After the first chapel burned down in 1875 a new one was built at the corner of McClellan and Pope. However, on December 16, 2000 in the early morning hours it burst into flames and was completely destroyed. Makes one wonder if there isn’t some more malevolent force at work here.

The General's Residence, located at 1 Scott Avenue, is said to continue to host General George Armstrong Custer. Often seen roaming the first floor of the old residence his spirit supposedly lingers because Fort Leavenworth was the site where he was court-martialed in 1867 for leaving his command and mistreating his troops.

The hearing was held in the commanding general's quarters, where Custer was found guilty and given a year's suspension without pay. Afterwards, he was reinstated and rejoined the Seventh Cavalry in September, 1868 where he served until the disastrous Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876.

Old Disciplinary Barracks -- This old Disciplinary Barracks has twelve towers along the wall and before the barracks closed not all of them were manned. Number eight tower had not been renovated and was never manned during the later years that the prison was open. Closed off, the only way you could get into the tower was to walk along the wall from another tower. However, guards would often report seeing something move inside the tower. Long ago, a soldier committed suicide in the tower by shooting himself in the head.

When the prison was still open the control tower would often get phone calls from Eight Tower, even though there was no phone in the tower. When the line was picked up there would be only static on the other end. At one point a patrol car reported seeing someone standing in the tower pointing rifle at them. No one was in the tower.

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Disciplinary Barracks, November, 2003, Kathy Weiser

Other towers were also haunted. Guards would report hearing the sounds of someone walking up the stairs and knocking on the trap door entrance to the towers when no one was there.

Building 65 was once the prison hospital and an unused elevator was said to be haunted. According to legend fourteen German POW’s were executed in the elevator shaft by hanging. Often guards would report hearing screaming coming from the old elevator. On the third floor of the building, which was only used as storage, a ghostly man in a wheelchair was often seen being pushed by another ghostly figure. The old Disciplinary Barracks operated from 1875 through 2002, when a new barracks was built.

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